ILScience announced on the 17th that it has filed a patent for large-capacity technology using a three-dimensional (3D) current collector to improve the performance of all-solid-state batteries for space applications.
The patent filed this time (10-2024-0134931) is titled “Method for Manufacturing 3D Current Collector, 3D Lithium Anode, and All-Solid-State Battery based on Selective Surface Treatment.”
Space batteries require differentiated performance to operate stably in harsh space environments, such as a wide temperature range, stability in ultra-high vacuum, and resistance to radiation exposure. Performance tests of the space all-solid-state battery developed by ILScience in August this year showed normal operation within a temperature range from -20°C to 120°C and maintained stability even in a high vacuum environment below 0.66 pascal (Pa).
With the large-capacity battery technology for which the patent was filed, ILScience expects to realize lithium anode and anode-free all-solid-state batteries with high stability, which will be widely utilized in the development of various all-solid-state battery technologies. By using selective surface treatment technology, uneven lithium deposition inside the pores of the 3D current collector can be prevented, and pore blockage or structural deformation of the electrode caused by dendrite formation can be avoided.
Dendrites are crystalline structures that form on the anode surface during charging and discharging of secondary batteries as lithium ions move between the cathode and anode, degrading battery life and efficiency. Their irregular branch-like shapes stack vertically, penetrate the separator, reach the opposite electrode, and cause electrical short circuits, which significantly increase the risk of battery explosion.
Song Seong-geun, CEO of ILScience, said, “Following the development of small all-solid-state batteries for space, we expect to increase battery capacity using 3D current collectors.” He added, “We will apply this technology to solar panels and energy storage systems (ESS) used in the space industry, such as space exploration and Mars colonization, to complete large-capacity all-solid-state battery technology for space that enables smooth energy supply.”
He further stated, “The large-capacity technology for space all-solid-state batteries, which will change the future of humanity, will play an important role in the space energy sector as ILScience’s unique innovative technology.”
ILScience’s battery research and development (R&D) center is collaborating with Professor Yoon Young-soo’s team at Gachon University to realize large-capacity technology using 3D current collector technology. Additionally, the company explained that this technology will be used as a core technology for mass production of 3D lithium anode sheets in the smart mobility electric vehicle sector of the Korea-Israel international joint R&D program “Lighthouse.”
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